Do Heavy-Weight Students Have more Difficulty Paying for College?

Abstract

Twenty-five years ago, the under representation of the obese at high-prestige colleges was demonstrated. This article looks at the problem of who pays for the higher education of heavy-weight adolescents. Three studies (total N = 833) demonstrate that heavy-weight college students rely more on jobs, savings, or financial aid than do normal-weight students, who rely primarily on family support. This effect appears in two different universities and is more reliable for women than for men. The effect remains even when parents' educational level, parents' income, race, family size, and number of children attending college are factored out. Several possible explanations for this effect, including parents' attitudes toward their children, are discussed.

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